Need advice: Pop Warner/mods/Swan--thanks!

[Miffy]

Or the title of this post could be "Another Frustrated AP holder needs help!"

Since it seems there's a possibility there may not be AP rates available for early December, our plans to stay at WL are looking less like plans and more like fantasies. Of course, you might say that's in keeping with the Disney theme!

So, I'm writing to ask if anyone knows if there's a moderate where the Pop Warner crowd doesn't stay. My dh and I (no kids) are going Dec 5-14 (we booked the flights already), so our stay will definitely intersect the Pop Warnerists. I have nothing against them! We just like peace and quiet for our WDW vacation.

We were thinking about POR, but I just read a review on tripadvisor of someone who was there during PW last year, and PW was there too.

Any suggestions? I guess PW people don't stay at CSR, but I gather that that's more of a convention facility than a happy Disney theme resort kind of a place. Yes? No?

We're also considering the Swan, but it doesn't seem "Disney" enough--altho I'd be happy to be convinced otherwise! The other thing I read about the Swan is that the air temp is controlled by motion sensors and that it can get quite uncomfortable in the room when one is asleep. Is this the case? Or just one person's problem? We had a similar problem at ASMu last year. It was cold out and the heat kept turning itself off. But I digress.

All and any suggestions are appreciated.

TIA --miffy--

 

[thessaly]

I read somuch anecdotal info about the A/C problems at Swan - here, on usenet, on WDWIG, on epinions, etc - that I cancelled my plans to stay at the Swan.

Some people have no problems with it. Some people have problems with it but the front desk can fix it. Some people don't seem to be able to get it fixed at all and the front desk tells them they're out of luck. I'm a light sleeper, we're travelling in September, and I like it cold when I sleep... So I didn't want to gamble. I don't have *first hand* knowledge but I did look into this issue extensive a few weeks ago when I was making travel plans.

YMMV.

 

[swilphil]

I read a lot about the Swan a/c problems. We stayed at the Dolphin. They have a different type of a/c system. I think the lobby there is more Disney like and we had a great experience. We felt like we had plenty of Disney magic.

 

[DisneyFan79]

I don't know if this will help , but might get you thinking a little bit better about the Swan. The Swan is offering AP holders a special rate of 139.00 per night plus the resort fee of 10.00 and a complimentry upgrade on your room now through the rest of the year. I don't think it would hurt to give them a call and check it out. I know the mods go for 133.00 per night during that time. You would only be spending maybe 16.00 more a night for deluxe accomodations and you would have access to EPCOT and all of the EPCOT resorts!!! I really think their will be some AP discounts later in the year for the Disney resorts. I too am waiting for Dec 5-12 discounts. If it comes down to it, I am seriously thinking about booking the Dolphin or Swan!! Hope this helps

 

[Mouseteacher]

The Swan - DH and I just stayed at the Swan at the end of July. It was a perfect resort for just the 2 of us (last summer we stayed at The Dolphin with kids). It turned out to be very romantic! We were upgraded to a Jr. Suite and had no problems with a/c - I am a VERY light sleeper and changes in temp would bother me. DH hates it hot and he had no problem.

The resort is very serene and initimate (smaller than the Dolphin). I sat at the quiet pool every afternoon and had no problem with getting a lounge. As a matter fact, it was so non-busy I could change seats and follow the shade. When lounging, I never had anyone really too close to me.

The Disney magic is one I feel I have in me - it is there as long as I'm IN WDW. The Swan is in the middle of Epcot area. Looking out one of our windows I could see B/Y Club and the Boardwalk. While sitting on the balcony we saw the higher fireworks from Epcot and hear the music. We could see the Friendship launches coming and going. I'll stop there.

IMHO, no matter where you stay onsite you can't go wrong! It is a matter of personal preference.

 

[arielfan]

I've heard that most of the Pop Warner will be at the Value Resorts sooo POR should be ok...

 

[mickeyfan1]

there were many teams of players and cheerleaders at POR. They were well chaparoned, did not cause any problems, and were not noisy. They spent most of their time either on the fields at WWS or in practice and competition. The food court was very crowded at breakfast, but they were all very polite.

CSR is a convention property, but there is no shortage of Disney Magic there, and it may be much quieter due to the adult nature of the convention business.

My 2 cents on the Swan/Dolphin.... they are Sheraton/Westin properties. They are too corporate for me at WDW, but they are both very well kept and very convenient to Epcot and the Studios.

What ever your decision, I wish you a magicl trip.

 

[ceecee]

What is Pop Warner and when it is happening?

 

[Kathy5]

Just back from the Swan, and we didn't have any trouble with the air conditioners (we had two). Actually, we thought it tended to be cold, and we turned one off at night.

Given a choice between a moderate and the Swan, I'd go with the Swan.

 

[padisneyfan]

We actually stayed at the All Stars Sports last year when Pop Warner football teams were there. Other than the food court being busy in the morning, you didn't notice the teams. They weren't doing the parks so the buses were never crowded. They were all very polite and caused no problems. Since the weather was cool, there wasn't any pool noise from the teams. We are also going to be at WDW 12/3-12/8 this year and probable will just do the All Stars again.

We stayed at CSR this past May and really like that resort. It has more a deluxe feel instead of a moderate. It is now my favorite moderate. Have reservations for Oct.

 

[Miffy]

Dear Everyone:

Thanks so much for all your input. Much much appreciated.

ceecee: Pop Warner is a football/cheerleading event (competitions, I believe). Takes place Dec 6-12, 2003. The groups definitely stay at the value resorts and at some of the mods too.

Like I said, I have nothing against PW, it's just that my dh and I like a quiet place to stay on our WDW vacation and, altho this sounds a bit crazy, we sleep late at WDW, and where there are groups, there tend to be people waking up early in the morning and making even the usual waking-up noises.

Someone on tripadvisor had mentioned that there were PW groups at POR last year, so I'm assuming (possibly wrongly) that they'll be there this year too. With POFQ closed for now, there are fewer value/mods to stay at.

To all of you who mentioned your good experiences at the Swan: Thank you. We've been seriously considering it and I almost called and booked today. The AP rates there look great. Also, I think they have a 5-day-before-arrival cancellation policy, so we'll be safe to book and wait to see if any AP rates or postcards (hey, I can dream!) arrive in the meanwhile.

And--absolutely--every stay at WDW on site is great. That's why we're not even considering staying off-site.

Thanks again -- miffy --

ps: I'll post again when we've booked the rooms . . . and maybe, uh, rebooked!

 

[Hulabaloo]

Is this Pop Warner thing for real? I'm all about football and kids playing football, heck I it paid for my education, but my wife and I and my 2 year old were at Vero Beach in October. They had a marching band stay there one night and it was down right awful.

Kids calling our room at midnight, having role call at 6:30 am outside our door, one kid actually called three times and challenged me to a brawl, on my way to his room I swung by the front desk and found a sponsor and read them both the riot act.

We are booked 12/5 - 12/14 as well and it is our first Christmas at Disney, I've been a dm for a big box retailer for the last 8 years and finally got a cushy corporate job were the only time you can vacation is Christmas.

I'm seriously re-considering.

 

[sparp5]

Miffy,

Have you considered the YC. It truly beautiful and elegant and quiet. I know it's more money but sometimes it's worth the extra (if possible) to truly enjoy your vacation. Only thing I would consider better is YC concierge. I'm like you (even though I have 3 kids) I like to relax on vacation and don't want to be smack in the middle of chaos.

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by Hulabaloo
Is this Pop Warner thing for real? .....We are booked 12/5 - 12/14 as well and it is our first Christmas at Disney, I've been a dm for a big box retailer for the last 8 years and finally got a cushy corporate job were the only time you can vacation is Christmas.

I'm seriously re-considering.

Where are you staying? If you are at one of the deluxes you will be OK. I've gone the past 5 years around this time, the last 3 years at Boardwalk, we barely noticed them in the parks, they are usually busy with their events at Wide World of Sports. They sometimes have afterhours parties for them at the parks.

 

[flynnmnstr]

I have heard so many different posts about the Swan/ Dolphin and the lack of Disney magic that I finally feel I need to respond. Yes Disney does not run the hotels and guests have encountered problems during their stays but that has happened at every hotel.

I love the location of the Swan/Dolphin, the ammenities at the hotels and there are two other hotels within walking distance. The ball at Epcot and the Tower of Terror are your views. You don't need to rely on transportation for Epcot and MGM (you can walk if you want).

Unlike Disney, the Swan/ Dolphin offers many discounts throughout the entire year. You can stay at the S/D for about the same price as a moderate Disney run hotel. There is no comparison. I would never choose to stay at a moderate over the Swan/Dolphin. Our first stay was at the Swan in December 2000 (pre renovation) and it was a very romantic and magical vacation. We continue to stay at the hotel because of wonderful service, amazing ammenities and location and a good price.

 

[Spartan]

They were definately at POR in 2001, and there were lots of them - but it really wasn't too bad They did sort of take over the main pool a couple of times in the evenings (it was pretty warm that year, so it was not bad pool weather), but not in an obnoxious way - just in sheer numbers. We never noticed any noise in our room out of the ordinary, but then again we were in the Mansions section and I think more of them were in the AB, maybe because of the 5 to a room allowance. Definately not anything that would make me change plans, although we're going a little earlier this year - but not because of PW.

 

[Miffy]

sparp5: Unless AP or other room discounts appear, WL (which is our first choice) is too expen$ive, so I think, unfortunately, the YC is really out of our price range. But I appreciate the suggestion. The Boardwalk area looks lovely, which is why I'm about to book the Swan and then hold on and wait to see if any codes come out for the period of our stay. If not, flynnmnstr, I hope to be joining the S/D cheerleading section.

Thanks to all of you for your posts.

btw, I got the info about the Pop Warner dates from Intercot (hope I'm allowed to mention them here).

--miffy--

 

[Miffy]

Hi Everyone.

I just got off the phone with the S/D, and made our reservation. I feel so relieved that we have a room booked in a nice on-site hotel at a rate we can afford.

I already have a thousand nice things to say about the Swan. Here are a few of them:

(1) They have a toll-free telephone number! As a chronic 407-WDISNEY caller, I totally appreciate that.

(2) I spoke with the nicest, most accommodating, knowledgeable reservationist (is that the right term?). Her name is Yahaira, in case you get lucky enough to get her on the phone.

(3) They actually did not have AP discount availability for the first 4 nights of our stay (I already bought the plane tix, so I couldn't change the dates). So I spent some time on the phone trying to figure out if I could afford the higher rate (there were rooms at the 2nd tier of rates, but not at the "standard" rate). It was actually too much $$ at the higher rate. I was bummed! At that point, after discussing the situation from every angle, Yahaira said she'd talk to her supervisor. She put me on hold. One minute (maybe less) later, she was back, and had approval from the supervisor to give me the AP "standard" rate for the entire stay! I was thrilled.

(4) Now I want to stay at the Swan instead of WL! because they were so nice, so accommodating, and because I know we have a room booked at a rate we can afford and I don't have to wait and wait for AP rates or other codes. If they do come out, I'll rethink the whole thing. Meanwhile, we are happily afloat with the Swan!!

(5) And one more nice comment about the S/D: They came out with discount rates through the end of 2003. Thank you.

And thanks to all of you for your good information.

--miffy (feeling very relieved!)--

 

[Hulabaloo]

We are booked at Old Key West but are on the wait list for our Home Resort the BOARDWALK,

Hopefully we will atleast get to stay at the boardwalk as we stayed at Old Key West last time and it made us long for the Board Walk that much more.

I know these kids usually stay at the value resorts or the moderates, but heck Vero Beach isn't exactly cheap and that was were the marching band was staying.

I know I'm coming off as this big kid dislker (which is the farthest thing from the truth). I just don't want to get there and have a bad experience again.

Any suggestions?

 

[swilphil]

Miffy--I love the S/D, and I think you will, too. There's plenty of Disney Magic for me and you'll love those heavenly beds. Enjoy your stay!!